JOHOR BAHRU, Nov 5 — The Johor state government is considering granting a water bill rebate following the water supply disruption caused by the pollution of Sungai Johor, which has affected 292,158 user accounts or nearly 1.168 million residents in four districts.
State Works, Transport, Infrastructure and Communication Committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh said the decision regarding the matter is expected to be announced during the Johor State Legislative Assembly sitting on November 13.
“The state government is considering (the rebate); wait for the announcement,” he said during a press conference here today when asked whether the state government is considering rebates for affected consumers in Kota Tinggi, Kulai, Pontian, and Johor Bahru, including Gelang Patah.
Mohamad Fazli said water supply is expected to be fully restored by midnight tonight, with only 2,472 user accounts still affected in Taman Impian Emas, Taman Bukit Impian, and Taman Anggerik Emas here.
Meanwhile, he said Sungai Johor will be gazetted as a water source priority area to preserve the water quality and ensure that the worst pollution in the state’s water supply history does not recur.
He said a committee will be established to provide feedback and recommendations to the state government on the move, and all developments along and around Sungai Johor will be identified.
“If gazetted, development activities, including sand mining, will be controlled,” he said adding that efforts to preserve the river must be enhanced, as it supplies water to nearly two million users in Johor.
At the same time, Mohamad Fazli said the raw water turbidity level at the Sungai Johor Basin has gone down to 500 Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU), close to the normal level of 400 NTU, compared with 37,400 NTU recorded during the incident on Friday.
He pointed out that the last pollution incident in 2019 at the upper reaches of Sungai Sayong, within the Sungai Johor area, caused by chicken waste, which led to the closure of the farm only resulted in a raw water turbidity level of about 5,000 NTU.
Earlier, Mohamad Fazli was reported as saying that the pollution on Friday was due to a ruptured sand-washing pond at an inland sand mining site in Kota Tinggi, which forced a temporary shutdown of the water treatment plant operations.
The incident also affected the livelihoods of more than 150 fishermen, including the Orang Asli community along the upper reaches of Sungai Johor. — Bernama
